PANEL DISCUSSION 20 Years of the Mississippi Blues Trail–Fireside Chat with Mayor John Horhn, Scott Barretta, Bill Mc Pherson, Dr. Edgar Smith, and Jim O’Neal Moderated by Yolonda Clay-Moore,Visit Jackson 6-7 p.m.The Mississippi Blues Trail has been an invaluable guide to finding the people and places that shaped the music in this state and which, in turn, influenced the world. This panel will discuss its origins and impact. The experts include Jackson, Miss., Mayor John Horh

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 7:459 p.m. Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band The expression “legend in his own time” may be overused, but in the case of Taj Mahal, it’s appropriate. Born Henry Saint Claire Fredericks Jr. in New York in 1942, he grew up immersed in music; among his early influences was his godfather, the famed pianist Buddy Johnson. Mahal is an internationally acclaimed roots-music polymath who has performed, educated, and inspired fellow musicians and listeners for

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 7:45-9 p.m. 75 Years of Billy Branch Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with Kenny Nealand and Ronnie Baker Brooks As a harmonica player, singer and bandleader, Billy Branch has been an essential part of the Chicago blues community for decades. And as a devoted educator, he has been a crucial messenger of the music to audiences and students around the world. He picked up a harmonica at the age of 10 and immersed himself in the city’s blues scene during t